Mass Effect: The Adventures of Nathaniel Shepard
by NRC13
Summary: This story is a reworking of the Mass Effect series following Commander Nathaniel Shepard. Essentially a fan novelization of the game. I do not own Mass Effect or any related content; all due credits to EA and its teams.


"Nathaniel! Janie! Dinner's ready!" A female voice called from the floor below. Nathaniel paused the vid he was watching, jumping up from the seat at his desk.

"Be right down!" He called back to his mother. He walked through his bedroom door and headed down the staircase, turning into the dining room. Nathaniel sat down at the table, waiting for the rest of his family to sit down.

Already at his right was Nathaniel's half-brother, Corporal David Shepard of the Alliance Navy. He was ten years Nathaniel's senior, and was seldom around. Unlike the rest of the Shepard family, which all lived on the human colony of Mindoir, David lived in his birth mother's native Japan back on Earth. David was the son of Nathaniel's late father John, a wealthy businessman, and his first wife, a Japanese woman who died in childbirth. Several years later, John married Nathaniel's mother, Hannah Armstrong, who adopted and raised David as her own.

To Nathaniel's left was his twin sister Jane, nicknamed Janie by the Shepard family. She and Nathaniel were both sixteen and in high school, though Jane seldom attended. Nathaniel and Jane, while close, were polar opposites; Nathaniel strove to get good marks in school, while Jane would rather hang out with her friends and play hooky.

"Do you need any more help, Mom?" Asked Nathaniel's older blonde sister Astrid, holding their toddler sister Hope in her arms. Though she was barely in her twenties, Astrid was already a high ranking executive for Binary Helix. Most would assume that their father was the reason she held such a position, but in all reality, Astrid was a genius with a knack for finance. In addition, she was currently under consideration for a promotion to Vice President.

"I'm good, honey. Just get Hope in her seat." Hannah said, entering from the kitchen with a platter of sushi in her hand. Though currently a homemaker, Hannah Shepard was also a retired Commander of the SSV Einstein, an Alliance carrier. She served the Alliance faithfully her entire adult life, though decided to retire when she got pregnant with Hope.

Once the toddler was in his seat, the two women took theirs. Nathaniel looked down at the raw fish in front of him, making a face. He wasn't a big fan of sushi, and neither was either of his sisters. It was, however, a favourite of David's, and as he was the guest, it was his choice to have it.

"So, David," started Jane, "how's Earth? A couple of the guys want to head down there for vacation."

"Absolutely not" Hannah said firmly. "You are not leaving this colony with /anyone/ besides me until the day you turn eighteen."

"Come on, Mom!" Jane complained. "Nate got to go to the Citadel! That's way farther than Earth!"

"He went with your father, Jane. Not some wannabe gang members." Jane frowned and stabbed her fork into the food.

"This is so stupid" she continued to complain.

Astrid shook her head at Jane, then looked to David: "Anyways, how is Earth? I hear it's beautiful."

"It really is. Tokyo in the winter is one of the most spectacular things I've seen. I'm surprised you have gone there with Binary Helix" David said.

"I like to stay close to home. Besides, most of my traveling is to Noveria to discuss stock. Unfortunately for me, their winter is eternal and insufferable."

"Didn't you say in your last vid that there was a certain, and I quote, 'bright blue piece of eye candy' there too?" David asked, a slight grin on his face.

"Speaking of eye candy, how's Mai Li doing?" Astrid asked, causing David to look away in slight fear.

"Mai Li?" Hannah asked. "David, who's Mai Li? Is she your girlfriend?"

"Actually," David started to say with hesitation in his voice, "she's my -"

All of a sudden, a huge noise came from above the house, blanketing the windows in darkness. Outside, people could be heard screaming.

"What's going on out there?" Nathaniel asked, standing up.

"I'm not sure" his mother said, "it sounds like a ship. But it's awfully close." David stood up and started towards the door.

"I'm going to go check it out" he said.

"It's nothing" Jane said, annoyed. "You people overreact too much."

Just then, a massive explosion was heard a ways away, shaking the entire house. Startled by it, Hope began to cry.

"Hey, hey," cooed Astrid, picking her up. "It's okay, Hope" she said.

Hannah opened up a nearby cabinet and pulled out a pistol, handing it to David. "Take this," she said, pulling out a shotgun for herself. She turned to Nathaniel and his sisters: "Don't leave this house for any reason until one of us comes back." The two of them headed out, leaving the four others behind. They all stood there silently, looking at each other and the floor.

"Screw this" Jane said, heading towards the back door.

"Where the Hell do you think you're going?" Astrid asked, stroking Hope's hair to keep him calm.

"To Quinn's house" she said. "Mom and David are just being paranoid. Nothing bad ever happens here." She turned towards the door and reached to open it. However, it was flung open before she could, knocking her back.

"Get on the ground, everyone!" Yelled a gruff voice from outside the house. A large batarian marched in with an assault rifle, pointing it at Jane, who scooted back into the dining room. Nathaniel ducked under the table, while Astrid backed up.

"Please, sir, just calm down" Astrid pleaded.

"Get on the ground!" He screamed again. Jane reached up on the table and grabbed a plate, throwing it at his face.

"Gah!" He yelled, stumbling back a step. Astrid took the opportunity and grabbed a pistol, firing once at the batarian. The shot hit him right in the face, causing him to crumble to the floor. "Come on!" She yelled to her siblings, all of them racing to the door.

Outside, the once peaceful community was a disaster, bodies littered the street, and buildings all over were on fire. Down the road, David and Hannah were firing their guns, shooting any batarian that came their way.

"Mom!" Astrid yelled, racing toward her, the twins standing at their door.

"Astrid, get back inside!" Hannah yelled, running towards them. A small item sailed over David's head, hitting the ground hard. A second later, it exploded, sending David and Hannah flying through the air. Hannah landed with a thud on a few rocks, unmoving, while David was sent through a window into a burning building.

Astrid froze in her tracks, her mouth wide open in shock. Jane and Nathaniel ran towards their mother.

"Mom?" Nathaniel asked, shaking her. "Mom, come on, get up!" He pleaded.

Astrid snapped out of her state of shock and grabbed Nathaniel with her free hand. "Nathaniel, it's no use. We have to get out of here!" She said. Nathaniel and Jane nodded, and the four ran towards the edge of town. Not even a ten feet after their start, a batarian ran out of a building and fired three shots at them. The first two passed by them, but the third grazed Jane's side.

"Ah!" She screamed as she fell, grabbing her side in pain.  
"Jane!" Astrid yelled, pausing to help her up. She turned to Nathaniel frantically. "Go hide, Nathaniel. We'll catch up in a minute; I need to find get medi-gel on her."

"I'm not -" Nathaniel started.

"Go!" Astrid yelled, handing him Hope. "Take her and go find a place to hide." Nathaniel shakily nodded his head and took off running.

The teenager ran until he came upon a large ship. He had never seen one quite like it, but he could see batarians guarding it. Not wanting them to see him, he ducked in an alley between two abandoned buildings. He held Hope tight, trying to calm both her and himself. Nathaniel took a deep breath and sat down, leaning against one of the buildings.

Before too long, Nathaniel heard people yelling near where he saw the ship. He peeked around the corner and lost his breath. Astrid and Jane were surrounded by batarians and were being shoved towards the ship. He held onto Hope tight, who squirmed against him, trying to hide herself.

"Get in there!" One of the batarians shouted at them, pushing them forward. Nathaniel saw Astrid move her mouth slightly, then swing around and punched her captor.

"Run!" She shouted at Jane, who sprinted as fast as she could with her wound. Astrid grabbed on of the guns and started shooting. As quickly as Astrid's surprise attack started, it ended; one of the ship's guards shot Astrid twice in the back, and the other shot Jane three times before she went down.

Nathaniel froze upon seeing this, unable to comprehend what he had seen. By the time he snapped out of it, a batarian was marching directly towards him. Nathaniel ducked back into the alley and held his breath, waiting for certain death.


End file.
